Happiness is a Warm Puppy, Charlie Brown
by Cade Welentine
Summary: The van Pelts are finally getting a dog, much to Rerun's excitement. Unfortunately for Linus, their new dog has an obsession with his blanket. What will happen to Linus and his life long friend? DISCONTINUED. Sorry, just ran out of ideas for it! :'
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I know its been forever since I've updated and I feel horrible about it. Anyways, here's a treat for all my fellow Peanuts fans, especially those of you who love Linus. Enjoy!**

Linus van Pelt sat in his favorite arm chair, sucking his thumb. holding his blanket and thinking. What he was thinking about, he couldn't exactly tell you. Things just kind of spiraled into one and other, leaving an actual topic hard to decipher.

"Linus!" his little brother, Rerun, screeched. Linus's eyes flew open and he let out a barely audible 'grrrr'.

The little first grader feet smacked against the linoleum of kitchen floor as the youngest van Pelt searched for his brother.

"Maybe, if I close my eyes now, I can pretend he isn't here," Linus wondered.

"There you are!" Rerun said, relief clearly in his voice.

"Here I am," Linus confirmed. He scooched over in his chair, making room for his brother. The younger boy climbed into the chair, using his hands as a lift.

"Hello, Linus," Rerun said.

"Hello, Rerun," Linus somewhat repeated, smoothing his light blue blanket out on his lap.

"Guess what." Rerun ordered excitedly.

"What?" Linus aksed, not even coming close to matching his brother's tone. Linus knew better than to get excited over something that Rerun was excited about until you knew what it was. Rerun got excited over having pizza for dinner, and that happened at least once every two weeks.

"We're getting a dog for Christmas!" Rerun all but screamed.

"What?" Linus asked, tightly gripping his blanket.

"We're getting a dog for Christmas!" Rerun repeated.

"We're getting a dog. An actual, real, _living_ dog?" Linus asked, checking once more. Rerun nodded.

"That's great, Rerun," Linus said, knowing that Rerun had wanted a dog for the longest time. Rerun smiled, then snuggled in close to Linus, resting his head on Linus's shoulder. Linus considered protesting until Rerun's arms wrapped around him in a big hug. Linus sighed, giving into this moment of affection.

Linus had always had a soft spot for his brother. Maybe it was because Rerun was someone to finally look up to him, the way Linus first had with their older sister, Lucy. After Lucy's first amazement with being an older sister had worn off, she began to torment Linus, and Linus lost his respect for her. He was, however, determined not to be that with Rerun. Rerun already had a Lucy, he didn't need two.

The brothers sat there for a considerable amount of time until Lucy burst in.

"I can't believe we're getting a stupid dog!" Lucy screamed. "You two, move!" Obediently, the boys slid off the chair, making way for the girl. She plopped herself down in the chair and groaned loudly.

"First, I have to have two stupid brothers, now I have to have a dog, too?" she whined. Linus and Rerun exchanged a glance. Rerun shrugged and plopped himself down on the floor. Linus sighed and chose to sit on the couch.

"What's so bad about dogs, Lucy?" Linus asked.

"First, you have to walk them every morning, even when its raining and snowing. And second, they chew up _everything."_ Lucy explained.

"Everything?" Linus asked, clutching at his blanket.

"Everything. Shoes, couches, curtains, _blankets_," Lucy confirmed. Nervously, Linus wiggled his blanket between his fingers. Their mother called something that Linus could not make out but caused the corners of Lucy's mouth to curl up into an evil grin.

"Oh Linus!" she called happily in a singsong voice.

"What?" Linus asked.

"It's wash day," Lucy smirked, prying the blanket from Linus's hands. Linus's eyes widened. He whimpered. His blanket was everything to him, it was his lifeline. A childish lifeline, but a lifeline nonetheless.

Linus closed his eyes, trying to take deep, but shaky, breaths. Rerun, noticing this, gripped Linus's shoulders tightly then began to shake him violently.

"Come on, big brother, breathe!" Rerun screeched, trying to shake Linus back to health. Linus let out another whimper and clutched at his stomach.

"I don't feel so good," he muttered. "My head hurts and I feel like I'm going to throw up.

"It's in the rinse cycle!" Lucy yelled. Linus began to shake and shiver.

"Hang on, Linus, it's rinsing!" Rerun begged. "You'll have it back soon!"

"Blanket, need blanket," Linus moaned. An idea popped into Rerun's head. He let go of Linus's shoulders, causing Linus to slump forward, and he ran into the kitchen. He could see the pale blue dish towel their mother sometimes used hanging from the counter. He jumped and caught it.

"Here!" Rerun yelped, throwing the dish towel into Linus's lap. Cautiously, Linus picked it up and put it over his shoulder, like he would if it were his blanket.

"No substitutes," Linus groaned, tossing the towel back at his brother.

"Here," Lucy grumbled, throwing the blanket at Linus. He picked it up happily and hugged it tightly.

"That's a new record," Lucy remarked. "He made it through the entire time without passing out,"

"I don't know if that's a really a very good record," Rerun said.

"It's a good record for him," Lucy insisted. The two stared at their brother who had returned to his usual position. His blanket slung over his shoulder, his thumb in his mouth and his eyes closed. There was something comforting about just watching him like that, while at the same time, it was sort of sickening to see the third grader still hanging on to his security blanket and sucking his thumb.

"Would you two kindly stop staring at me?" Linus asked. His siblings returned to their previous activities, Rerun playing with blocks and Lucy channel surfing, leaving Linus to his thoughts and fears.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I'll be the first to admit it, this isn't my best chapter, but I sort of do like it. It's sort of weird, but it does give some nice insight to Linus's thoughts. Anway, enjoy!**

Linus stood with his best friend Charlie Brown at the old brick wall in the park. He listened to the sound of some of the younger kids flying kites, a joyful, sweet sound that starkly contrasted his thoughts.

"I don't know what I think, Charlie Brown," Linus said.

"What do you think you should think?" Charlie Brown replied. Linus considered this for a moment. There were so many things he felt he should be thinking and feeling. Happiness, excitement, anticipation, to name a few.

"I suppose I should be ecstatic, but, honestly, I feel anything but ecstatic. I mean, what if the dog goes after my b-blanket?" Linus explained, shuddering at the thought of his blanket being attacked.

"Well, what if it does?" Charlie Brown asked. "Would it really be such a bad thing? It's a very old blanket, it's as old as you. What would happen to you if the dog did get a hold of it?" Linus held up his blanket. The color was fading at the corners and it had a few, small, slightly off color patches. Maybe it was time for Linus's old, faithful friend to go into retirement.

"I think I'd have a heart attack," Linus admitted finally.

"I've often stayed awake at night, asking myself these sort of unanswerable questions," Charlie Brown sighed, leaning forward onto his arms, as if accepting a defeat.

"Don't beat yourself up over my problems, Charlie Brown," Linus said, although he was honored that his friend was so involved in his life.

"I'm not," Charlie Brown said. "I'm beating myself up over mine,"

"I see," Linus mumbled. He was beginning to see that Charlie Brown was not the best person to go to if you were seeking advice. He had one other place to search for advice, but he didn't really like it. However, it was his only other option.

"I'll see you later, Charlie Brown," Linus said as he began walking in the direction of the psychiatrist's booth.

Linus sat himself down on the little brown stool in front of the booth. Lucy was reading a magazine, not paying attention to the fact that she had a customer.

Linus cleared his throat. Lucy put down the magazine with a large, heaving sigh. She clasped her hands together and leaned forward.

"What can I help you with?" she asked.

"I, um, need some advice," Linus whimpered, fearing what his sister could do. Lucy leaned back in her chair, clearly interested in where this was going to go.

"What kind of advice?" Lucy asked.

"Well, I don't know what to think about a getting a dog. And I'm afraid of what the dog might do to my blanket," Linus admitted.

"I can solve both your problems with some simple advice. 1. Be less of a blockhead and 2. Get rid of that STUPID BLANKET!" Lucy explained, screaming the last part. Linus drew back in his seat.

"I was afraid you'd say that," he muttered. Lucy tugged at her winter hat which had come loose during her outburst. She glanced at her watch.

"Oops, looks like time's up! That'll be five cents, please," Lucy said. Linus shoved his hands in his pockets, fiddling for change. He pulled out two pennies.

"Do you have a friends and family discount?" he asked sheepishly.

"I oughta slug you," Lucy threatened. Linus sighed, put the two pennies in Lucy's can, then reached into his sock and pulled out three more pennies.

"How do you always know that I have change?" he asked.

"It's a sixth sense," Lucy bragged. She looked at her watch again, then turned the 'Doctor is in' to 'out', and then began to skip down the road.

"Where are you going?" Linus demanded.

"To Schroeder's house!" Lucy called. Linus sighed, then, realizing something, pulled his five pennies out of the can.

"Put 'em back!" Lucy called.

"How does she know?" Linus asked his blanket as he dropped the pennies back in. The blanket, unfortunately, did not respond.

"I always wonder what it would be like if you could talk back. I would like to imagine that you would be kind and would have some very nice insights into world issues, and life, and what would happen if my family got a dog." Linus told the blanket. "But, alas, you sit silently, listening to me talk about my problems. You're like a mute therapist."

Linus stared at the grass surrounding him. He didn't understand, in a world where _his _mother was letting the family get a dog, there wasn't snow on the ground two days before Christmas.

"Well, blanket, I suppose we should get going. I told Mom we'd be home by now," Linus sighed and slid off the stool.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I know many of you would be expecting a Schroeder/Lucy chapter right about now because I sent Lucy to Schroeder's, and while I would love to do one, it doesn't fit in with my story at the moment, mostly because it's supposed to be a story told in Linus's point of view, never fear though, I think I may have a way to squeeze one in. Happy reading!**

**-Cade**

Rerun was studying up on dogs, he announced that to Linus as soon as Linus had walked in the door. Why Rerun thought Linus would care to know this was beyond Linus's reasoning. Although, Linus figured he probably said some stuff the Lucy that she wouldn't care at all about, too. Maybe it was karma.

"Guess what!" Rerun ordered his brother. Linus sighed and said, "What?"

"Mom said that tomorrow we're gonna go to puppy farm and pick out our puppy!" Rerun was nearly screaming. Linus tightened his grip around his blanket.

"That's great," he said through gritted teeth. Rerun hugged him tightly and then ran off. Linus plopped himself down in front of the books Rerun had been reading. Most of them said the same things: dogs needed lots of care, affection and exercise.

Absent mindedly, Linus flipped through the pages of the books, glancing at pictures. He noticed the Rerun put post-it notes next to pictures of dogs that he liked. Naturally, there was a post-it next to every picture. He chuckled to himself.

Behind him, he could hear the front door open but didn't think much of it until his sister's coat was on his head.

"Here you go, coat rack," Lucy said. Linus growled and pulled the coat off his head.

"I'm you brother, not your coat rack," he said.

"Whatever, just hang it up," Lucy ordered. Linus started to protest. "Or I'll put your blanket in the trash burner," she threatened. Linus grabbed his blanket and Lucy coat and dragged himself to the hall closet.

"I hate it when she makes me do this," he muttered to the blanket. "She knows I can't reach the hangers and have to stand on my tiptoes on the phone book just to be able to touch one." Linus reached and grabbed a hanger. He pulled on it with all his might. Instead of coming down like it usually did, it snapped, he fell backward onto his butt and pieces of hanger flew at him at a frightening speed. A shard of plastic hit Linus in the eye. All he could think to do was cry, loudly.

Linus felt like a baby, crying, sitting and clutching his blanket. He heard his mother's footsteps and a small gasp.

"Oh, my poor baby," she said, wrapping her arms around him. Linus cried harder. His mother didn't say anything for a moment, then tried to look at Linus's face.

"It's a lot better than originally thought," she said. "All you've got is a cut on your eyebrow and a sore eye,"

"What happened?" Linus heard Rerun ask from the top of the stairs.

"Nothing dear, Linus just had a little accident with the hangers," their mother called up to him. She let go of Linus.

"Feel better?" she asked. Linus nodded, then stood up. He was determined not to let his sister see that he had been crying, otherwise he'd never hear the end of it. He was still living down last Halloween when he cried over the fact that she killed the pumpkin they had picked.

His mother kissed his forehead once more before heading back to the kitchen. Linus sniffled once more then shuffled upstairs to his bedroom.

"Are you okay, big brother?" Rerun asked as Linus passed his bedroom. Linus nodded, though it wasn't very convincing. Hearing the commotion, Lucy stuck her head out of her bedroom door.

"What's going on out here?" she asked. She glanced at Rerun, then at Linus. "What happened to your eye?"

"N-nothing," Linus stuttered.

"Obviously something happened. There's a big cut and your eye's all red. Now, what happened?" she insisted.

"Why should I tell you?" he asked. Lucy stepped closer to him, so close that their noses were almost touching. Sensing danger, Rerun retreated back into his room. Lucy held up her hand.

"I'll give you five good reasons," she said. "One," she closed her index finger. "Two," she closed her middle finger. "Three," she closed her ring finger. "Four," she closed her pinky. "Five," she closed her thumb, forming a fist.

"The hanger snapped and hit me in the eye!" Linus yelped, throwing his hands over his face. Lucy dropped her fist, laughing.

"HA! You got hit in the eye by a hanger! HA!" Lucy screeched. Linus pushed past her, walking towards his bedroom.

"What can I say?" Linus asked his blanket. "She had very good reasons," He sighed, closing the door behind him as he walked into his room. He always felt at home in his room. The blue walls were comforting and made his room feel cozy. The green and blue quilt on his bed was soft and he always felt that, when combined with his blanket, it protected him during the night.

Linus sat down at his cluttered desk, unsure what he should do. He thought about getting a head start on his letter to the Great Pumpkin but thought better of it, deeming it too early. Instead, he wrote a letter to the himself, getting out all his feelings about the new dog.

_Dear Linus,_

_ How are you? Is everything all right with your blanket? I heard that you are getting a new dog. I don't know whether to congratulate you or say that I'm sorry. I've heard a lot of mixed reaction when people say they are getting a dog. I know that you are probably very unsure about what to think and will most likely want to do further research on the subject before forming an opinion. _

_ I've heard that Lucy has told that dogs chew up everything, including blankets. It is very possible that she is telling the truth. But it is equally as likely that she is lying and just said it to bother you. It could be that the dog is going to just completely ignore your blanket. It could also be that the dog will be like Snoopy, Charlie Brown's dog, and be completely obsessed with your blanket. _

_ Aside from the possible blanket obsession, shouldn't getting a dog be something that excites you? I mean, it certainly excites Rerun. Maybe you should just take pleasure in the fact that your brother is so happy. Maybe you just shouldn't think about it anymore. _

_ Sincerely,_

_ Linus_

Linus felt worse after finishing the letter than he did before he started it. He rubbed at his eye, then winced in pain. He had forgotten how much it hurt.

"Sometimes it feels like the whole world is conspiring against me, Blanket," Linus muttered. "First, a blanket eating dog. Then, a hanger to the eye," He stared at his blanket for a moment, as if awaiting a reply. When nothing came, he stood up and trudged to his bed and laid down. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to nap for the first time in years.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Not much to say today, just letting you know that updates may be getting less frequent. And this is my longest chapter in any story ever! Enjoy!**

To say that Linus's Christmas Eve was bad is an understatement. His Christmas Eve was _horrible _from start to finish.

When he woke up, his eye was throbbing. Not to mention that he could only open it halfway due to having a black eye. He couldn't even touch the parts of his face _around_ his eye. Wiping his nose was torture.

It did not help his mood to discover that they were out of milk and cornflakes-his breakfast of choice-due to Lucy taking the last of both. He ended up having to eat a bowl of dry raisin bran, much to his dismay.

After breakfast, Linus elected to go to the brick wall instead of staying in a house with a hyper, excited Rerun and a crabby Lucy. Hopefully, Charlie Brown would be there, pondering life's big questions. Well, at least he would be daydreaming about the little red-haired girl.

Fortunately, someone was at the brick wall when Linus got there. Unfortunately, that someone was Charlie Brown's little sister, Sally. It's not that Linus didn't like Sally, he didn't like the she liked him. She was completely infatuated with him and practically stalked him. Sally was also constantly saying that Linus was her "Sweet Babboo", a nickname that Linus found idiotic and annoying.

"Hello Linus!" Sally called happily.

"Hello Sally," Linus mumbled, taking his usual place at the brick wall. Sally stared at him with an almost uncomfortable intensity.

"Oh no!" Sally squeaked. "My Sweet Babboo's eye is black! Does it hurt?"

"Yes, very much, actually," Linus said. "And I'm not your 'Sweet Babboo'!"

"Let me see it," Sally ordered as she reached out to touch it.

In a panic, Linus smacked her hand away, yelping, "Don't touch it!" Sally shrank back a little, making it obvious she had never been yelled at by a boy who wasn't related to her before. Her fear quickly turned into anger and yanked Linus's blanket from his grasp.

"Give it back," he begged.

"Say you're sorry!" Sally demanded.

"I'm sorry!" Linus whimpered. Sally thre the blanket into the air and, while LInus panickedly snatched at it, kissed him on the cheek before running off, giggling.

Linus blushed. "Hopefully, I'll understand women later," he said to his blanket. "Maybe when I'm thirty." he guessed. "Dad's thirty-nine and he seems to understand them pretty well," Linus rubbed the spot where Sally kissed. "Then again, they are a confusing enigma,"

Linus waited a full half-hour for Charlie Brown to come to the wall. When he didn't show, Linus decided he had better go home.

As soon as Linus walked in the door, he got a Rerun to the stomach.

"Help!" Rerun yelped. "Lucy's gonna kill me!"

"What did you do this time?" Linus asked.

"I cut all the hair off her Barbie," Rerun confessed. Linus sighed. He opened the front door and waiting three seconds before slamming it shut.

"Go hide in the closet," he whispered to Rerun.

"Rerun, where are you?" Lucy yelled from Rerun's bedroom. She sprinted down the stairs.

"Linus, have you seen our brother?" she asked sweetly. Linus nodded.

"Well, then where is he?" she asked.

"He went outside," Linus lied.

"Great! Thanks," Lucy said as she ran outside, thankfully not stopping to get her coat from the closet.

After Linus was sure Lucy was gone, he let Rerun out of the closet.

"Is she gone?" Rerun asked. Linus nodded.

"Thanks, Big Brother," Rerun whispered, wrapping his arms around Linus in a big, grateful hug. Linus patted him on the head, a sort signal to Rerun, telling him that Linus had gotten the hug's message. Rerun let go and ran up to his room.

Linus sighed and trudged into the den, where he sat in his favorite chair. He felt as though he was getting stuck in a rut, always sitting in the same chair, especially since he knew that Lucy would come barging in any second, angry that she had been tricked. And because she was angry, she would force him out of his seat, probably by threatening to slug him. After she got her seat, Linus would either retreat to the beanbag in front of the television or the couch while Lucy changed the station to something that Linus had no interest in whatsoever but would have to watch because a protest was a surefire way to get punched in the nose.

Right on time, Lucy barged in, angrily stamping toward Linus.

"Get out of that seat, you Blockhead!" she yelled. Linus obediently slid down, making way for his sister.

"You told me Rerun was outside, and you know what? He wasn't!" said Lucy to Linus. "And I bet you think you're pretty clever, don't you? But you're not. I knew the whole time and was just humoring you and Rerun,"

"Sure you did," Linus muttered under his breath. They both knew that Lucy had believed Rerun was outside the whole time. He sighed, then sat in the green beanbag that sat in front of the TV.

Lucy began angrily flipping through the channels, growling about how there was nothing on. She eventually settled on a show about giraffes in the wild. Linus did not find it very interesting so he closed his eyes and hugged his blanket.

The siblings sat there, in their respective seats, for a long while. The giraffe program ended and became a program about elephants. Eventually Rerun came in, choosing to sit on the couch. He sighed loudly, trying to call as much attention to himself as possible.

"Yes Rerun?" Lucy asked.

"I'm bored," Rerun complained, kicking his feet against the couch.

"Wonderful. Stop kicking," Lucy ordered. Just as soon as Rerun had started kicking, he stopped at his sister's order. Linus was not surprised by his brother's obedience. If their sister caught on to any sign of defience from him, he would most likely get his face pounded in.

"When are we going to look at the puppies?" Linus asked, breaking the tension. He had been wondering this all day, dreading the arrival of the dog.

"When Mom gets back from the supermarket," Lucy answered, changing the channel to a cartoon she liked.

"When will that be?" Rerun asked.

"In half an hour," Lucy replied. She was beginning to get impatient.

Linus felt knots form in his stomach. In less than an hour, he'd be one step closer to having a blanket eating dog. He knew he shouldn't be letting what Lucy said about dogs and blankets get to him, but he was. Everytime he thought 'dog', 'blanket eating' stuck itself on the end.

Besides his fear of getting the dog, he feared that the dog wouldn't like him. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his head. He kept imagining scenarios where Rerun and Lucy would be laughing and playing with the dog and he'd go out to join them and the dog would turn it's nose in the air and retreat into the doghouse. Linus always feared being disliked, but considered it would be humiliating to be disliked by a dog.

The three sat in awkward silence that was only broken by Rerun's occasional nail nibbling, listening to Lucy's cartoon. None of them would be able to tell you what was happening on the show if you asked them, they were all wrapped up in their own thoughts, excitments and fears.

Their mother came in just as the program ended. She smiled at the sight of her three children who were, for once, watching television without fighting. They hadn't noticed her yet and ever so quietly she slid in to the seat next to Rerun. He noticed her and leaned against her in the affectionate way little boys always do with their mothers. She smoothed his hair in the maternal way all mothers do. Rerun smiled up at her. His siblings were still focused on the commericials that were flashing on the screen.

"HEY LINUS! LUCY! MOM'S HOME!" Rerun screamed. Lucy was unaffected by Rerun's shout, as she often was. Linus, however, was startled and jumped, throwing his blanket in the air.

"Rerun! Don't shout like that!" Linus said once he had recovered, but Rerun was too busy laughing to notice him. "Hi Mom," Linus greeted, smiling a big cheesy grin.

"Hello, Linus," their mother said.

"Are we going to get the dog now, Mom, are we?" Rerun wondered excitedly.

"Yes, Rerun. As soon as your father finishes getting ready, we'll all get in the car and go," she said. Linus felt his heart plummet to his stomach. He was that much closer to getting the dog.

The car ride was horrible. Linus had to sit on the hump seat in between Rerun and Lucy. The whole ride Lucy complained and Rerun bounced with excitement. Linus did his best to calm himself down by using his blanket but he ended up chewing his fingernails off from stress.

Once they got to the farm, Linus had calmed down a little. He was actually feeling more confident by the second. _It's just puppies, Linus, what's the worst that could happen?_ he kept asking himself. It wasn't until his father knocked on the farmhouse door that Linus felt all the fear come wooshing back to him.

The door was opened by a middle aged woman in a pink dress, not unlike Linus's mother. She smiled sweetly at the children before turning to their parents.

"Hello, you must be the van Pelts. I'm Mrs. Byrne, welcome to Daisy Hill Puppy Farm." the woman said. "Why don't you kids go around back and look at the puppies while I talk with your Mom and Dad,"

"Okay," Lucy said. "Thank you, ma'am," She took Rerun's hand and began to lead him around to the back of the house. Linus followed, slightly shaking from nerves.

Behind the house was a big backyard with green grass. There were a few wooden dog houses along a fence in the back. There was a large food bowl and a large water bowl by the back porch of the house. It was the biggest yard Linus had ever seen. He could have stayed there all day, marvelling at the size, except Lucy and Rerun had already started playing with multiple puppies.

The puppies were probably the best part of the yard. There were ten in all. There were some beagles, some labs and one dachsund. Rerun was giggling as one of the labs knocked him over and started licking his face. Lucy stood in the middle, her arms crossed, pouting. Linus was just so mesmerized.

Linus bent over and pet a beagle that was sniffing his leg.

"Hello, little dog," he said. The dog sniffed him once more before sprinting off. "Well," Linus huffed, offended. Their parents and Mrs. Byrne came out into the yard.

"Hey, Linus, that one likes you," Rerun laughed, pointing at the lab tugging at Linus's blanket.

"Hey!" Linus yelped, tugging at his blanket. He and the dog were in a big tug of war. "Please, puppy?" Linus asked. The dog took pity on the boy and let go, causing Linus to tumble backward.

Now that Linus wasn't fighting him, he got a good look at the lab. It had a chocolaty coat of fur and big, black, lovable eyes. It strolled over to Linus, starting to lick his face.

"I like this one," Rerun said, running over to pet the dog.

"Lucy?" their mother asked.

"It's alright, I guess," Lucy responded, half-heartedly.

"That just leaves Linus," their father said. "What do you think, son?"

"I like him," Linus said. He scratched the dog behind the ears, it thumped its tail on the ground happily.

"That settles it then," said their father. "We'll take the chocolate lab," Mrs. Byrne nodded and then had the adults go inside to sign a few more papers.

"What are we going to name it?" Lucy asked, a nasty tone in her voice.

"I don't know," said Linus.

"It really liked Linus's blanket, we could name it Blanket," Rerun suggested.

"I like Blanket," Lucy said.

"But that's what-" Linus started. "Never mind, I like Blanket."

"Do you like Blanket, boy?" Rerun asked, petting their new puppy. It barked happily.

"Blanket it is then," Lucy finalized it.


End file.
